


Gotham City News

by chronicAngel



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Buzzfeed, Comedy, Gen, I try to source everything but sometimes I can't find them, If you can please link me in the comments!, News Media, Social Media
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 00:02:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 4,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12782517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chronicAngel/pseuds/chronicAngel
Summary: A series of Buzzfeed-syle articles about Gotham City, particularly the ever-growing Wayne family and Batman Incorporated.





	1. 8 Times the Wayne Kids Were Too Relatable

1\. When Tim Drake-Wayne posted this selfie on Snapchat...

2\. Bruce's face here sums up everyone's reaction!

3\. This call-out post for Cassandra's brothers...

4\. Bruce Wayne going total overprotective dad. (And Clark Kent totally shipping it.)

5\. This family rendition of Homebound.

6\. Damian spamming his brother Farmville requests. (And Dick being unable to say no to that face!)

7\. This grumpy face...

8\. When Dick forgot to invite Jason and Stephanie to movie night.

Bonus: 9. When everyone was swooning over Selina Kyle!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sources:  
> #1 from Sarah Anton on Pinterest.  
> #2 and #9 from https://batfam-headcanon.tumblr.com/  
> #3 from https://this-canadian-girl.tumblr.com/ (Special thanks to Maren for helping me find this one!)  
> #4 from http://terushimasyuuji.tumblr.com/  
> #5 from http://randomwonderlland.tumblr.com/  
> #6 and #8 from http://callmeofficergrayson.tumblr.com/  
> #7 from we were the best on Pinterest.


	2. The Rumor Come Out: Does Timothy Drake-Wayne Is Gay?

Timothy Drake-Wayne is gay is the most discussed in the media in the few years ago. Even it has happened in 2012, but some of the public still curious about what is exactly happening and to be the reason there is a rumor comes out about his gay. At that time he became the massive social networking rumor. The public, especially his fans are shocked. He just came out with his bad rumor which is spread massively. This time is not about his business career, but his bad rumor. The rumor is out of standardize of hoax, according the last reported this entrepreneur revealed himself as homosexual.

Do you still believe or not, this rumor is really much talked by people even in a person of his fans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is obviously a joke. I couldn't _not._


	3. This Amazing Artist Draws The Waynes As The Bat Family... The Resemblance Is Uncanny!

Pictured from left to right: Alfred Pennyworth, Richard Grayson, Titus, Katherine Kane, Barbara Gordon, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne, Timothy Drake-Wayne, Cassandra Wayne, Stephanie Brown, Jason Todd, and Helena Bertinelli.

Artist Phil Cho draws amazing representations of the members of the extended Wayne family, and that's not all! Subscribers to his [Tumblr](https://www.deviantart.com/users/outgoing?http://philchoart.tumblr.com/), [Instagram](https://www.deviantart.com/users/outgoing?http://instagram.com/philchoart#), or [DeviantART](https://phil-cho.deviantart.com/) are treated to beautiful paintings of celebrities around the country, and not just in civilian clothes. Today, we're taking a closer look at his artwork of the Wayne family-- and today, they're bats!

_(Bruce Wayne as Batman.)_

_(Dick Grayson as Batman.)_

__

_(Dick Grayson as Nightwing.)_

As you can see, his beautiful art really highlights the similarities and differences between our fave celebs and the vigilantes who clean up their-- and our-- streets. We're definitely looking forward to more! You, however, don't have to wait.

_(Timothy Drake-Wayne as Red Robin.)_

__

_(Damian Wayne as Robin.)_

__

_(Barbara Gordon, longtime sweetheart of Bruce Wayne's eldest son Dick Grayson, as the legendary Oracle. This brings us back to the age old question: Is Oracle a person, or just a computer program?)_

__

_(Timothy Drake-Wayne's girlfriend Stephanie Brown as Batgirl.)_

You can support Phil Cho's work via commission [here](http://www.philchoart.com/commissions-info/)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Source: https://phil-cho.deviantart.com/
> 
> All art is by Phil Cho and comes from he and Roy Westerman's wonderful Earth-27 project.


	4. Has Kate Kane been hooking up with THE BATWOMAN? Read Bruce Wayne’s SHOCKING testimony!

Rumors have been flying about the current heiress to the Kane fortune and cousin of Bruce Wayne, Katherine Kane. More specifically: Is Kate Kane in a secret relationship with the Batwoman?

Though the renowned LGBT icon is currently engaged to GCPD officer Renee Montoya, this hasn’t stopped the rumors from flying about the nature of her relationship with the matriarch of the Batman Family. "Kate’s apartment has always been sort of a mess," said Ms. Kane’s cousin, Bruce Wayne, when we interviewed him. "But the last few times I’ve been there, she’s had clothes strewn all around the floor, including Batwoman’s suit."

He further commented, "She’s always had sort of a rebellious spirit. It’s part of the reason we were so shocked when she entered the Marines, which have such a strictly enforced code of conduct. Hooking up with the Batwoman doesn’t really seem out of character for her." Upon further questioning about the nature of Ms. Kane’s engagement with Renee Montoya, he elaborated, "Their relationship has been sort of tentative since they first started seeing each other. I guess that’s what happens when you meet your fiancée because she was the cop who pulled you over after a party."

When inquired about the rumors, Ms. Kane only said, "Batwoman and I are like the same person."


	5. Billionaire Playboy Bruce Wayne Announces ENGAGEMENT! The Bride-to-Be Will SHOCK YOU!

A shocking announcement from the Wayne family this weekend has left us with one question on our minds: Is famed bachelor Bruce Wayne really settling down for good?

Following the Wayne Charity's announcement that it has officially raised $1,000,000 for the renovations of St. Aden's orphanage, the CEO of Wayne Enterprises also announced his engagement to former criminal Selina Kyle. Though her name was cleared of 237 counts of first degree murder following the arrest of Catherine Ann Turley, AKA Holly Robinson, we have to ask ourselves if this Catwoman has really retired. Bruce Wayne commented, "When I first met Selina, she was rifling through pockets on the street. My children and close friends were shocked when I told them of our engagement this October, but she's been working very hard and I believe she's really rehabilitated herself."

After her arrest last December, Ms. Kyle has been waiting on death row in Arkham Asylum for months, where she received intensive therapy and healthcare in the attempt to diagnose the mental health issues that led to the murders of the 237 men last year. Though her files have not been officially released to the public, both Ms. Kyle and Mr. Wayne have implied that doctors diagnosed nothing beyond an extreme case of kleptomania. Supposedly, the murders were actually committed by Ms. Robinson, and Selina took the fall for her friend's crimes to repay a childhood debt.

"Holly and I grew up together," Selina explained when being interviewed, but refused to give any further comment on the allegations.

Though she has yet to have been officially pardoned, Ms. Kyle has been allowed to leave the intensive care of Arkham Asylum under parole, and has been seen on Wayne Manor's grounds at all hours of the day. "She's already acting like a step-mom," says Bruce's oldest son, Richard "Dick" Grayson. "I came to visit the other day and she was helping Alfred make lunch. It was actually kind of impressive [...] When we do that, we almost set the kitchen on fire."

When asked about his feelings on Wayne's engagement, he answered, "Who he gets involved with is about as much my business as who I get involved with is his. As step-moms go, though, she's definitely one of the better girlfriends he's had over the years."

Metropolis reporter and longtime friend of Bruce Clark Kent further said, "[Bruce and Selina's] relationship has been complicated for a long time. All of us on the sidelines have sort of been in a will-they-won't-they state of observation for a while now."

All Katherine Kane, Wayne's cousin, had to say on the matter was, "I'm just glad that the idiot is finally letting himself be happy." No matter who we asked, everyone had only approval and positive things to say about the relationship. Whatever the status on Selina Kyle's recovery as a criminal is, we can all be certain of one thing: Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle are utterly in love. Just look at Bruce's Instagram!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still screaming about Bruce and Selina's engagement even if I know there's no way it'll last.


	6. 5 Times The Wayne Family's Pets Owned Snapchat

Since his son Damian Wayne moved in, Bruce Wayne has adopted almost as many pets as he has orphans, and we're totally for it! After all, how can we resist more pictures of Alfred the cat? We picked our five favorite times that Ace, Titus, and Alfred the cat blew up social media, and today, we're showing them off to all of you.

1\. When Stephanie Brown encouraged Mr. Wayne to be more active on Snapchat and he posted this picture of Titus, or "Dog".

2\. When Miss Brown posted this gem of Ace on her own account.

3\. When Damian interrupted Titus' nap.

4\. When Alfred the cat got outside.

5\. When Alfred the cat wanted Dunkin' Donuts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sources:  
> #1 from https://batfam-headcanon.tumblr.com/  
> #2 is an edit I made using http://snapsr.com/  
> #3 and #5 from https://batfamilysocialmedia.tumblr.com/  
> #4 is my best friend caffeinewentz's cat.
> 
> Special thanks to Katarina for being a wonderful model.


	7. Gotham's Lady Rogues Spotted Volunteering for Wayne Foundation

People associate many things with the holidays: Family. Friends. Steaming mugs of cocoa. And here in Gotham City, it isn't the Christmas season without the Wayne Foundation's annual charity drive. In 2015 there was the fundraiser for St. Aden's Orphanage, which raised almost $26,000,000 in only two weeks; last year was the On Their Backs clothing drive for women living on the streets; and this year Bruce Wayne and his fiancée Selina Kyle have finally announced that they will be raising funds for the Hopeful Hounds Animal Shelter in Burnside, as well as volunteering at "various shelters" around the city. What has people shocked is just what they've been seeing at the shelter-- or rather, _who_ they've been seeing.

Witnesses report seeing Pamela Isley and Harleen Quinzel, more commonly known as the femme fatale duo Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, volunteering at the shelter and wearing Wayne Foundation shirts. One such witness said, "It was sorta crazy, watching them with their hair down, out of their jumpsuits and feeding the dogs. When me and the guys first saw them, we were kinda worried they were gonna poison the puppies or something, but [the dogs] all seemed happy. We even stuck around for a couple hours just to make sure nothing was going on."

We went out to Burnside ourselves and sure enough, there they were, two of the most dangerous women in history feeding a litter of scruffy kittens.

When we asked them to comment, Ivy said, "It's our duty as citizens of Gotham City to make sure the city is healthy-- these dogs and cats give as much life to this city as the people in it do. More, even! The Wayne Foundation, though founded by a man with as little regard for the life in this city as most of its other residents, is making a wonderful choice in supporting this shelter."

Harley Quinn added, "The animals are all super cute, too!" The women did not give further comment. We're sure of one thing here, and it's that adoption rates from that shelter are going to be skyrocketing.


	8. Batman Seen FLIRTING with CATWOMAN?! Is Bruce Wayne's "Reformed" Fiancée Hiding Something?

After the Joker's latest breakout from Arkham, no one was surprised to see the Dark Knight out on the streets more despite his decline of appearances last month. What people have found surprising is who he's been seen with-- Catwoman, AKA Selina Kyle, Bruce Wayne's recently announced fiancée.

Ironically, this, along with many other racy photos, were taken by Wayne's son, Timothy Drake-Wayne, one of the many "Professional Batman Photographers" that have been filling Gotham in the twenty years that the Batman has been active. Though many pictures have been seen over the years of Batman and Catwoman in similarly compromising positions, it was assumed that Ms. Kyle's rehabilitation and engagement would put an end to the affair.

When we asked Mr. Wayne for his response to the photographs, he commented, "I have complete faith in Selina _and_ Batman. The two of them have had as complicated a history as we have, and this can all be reasonably explained as a goodbye." Though the Wayne Enterprises CEO sounded confident in his words, he was clearly agitated, and we have to wonder if the photograph bothered him more than he showed.

Ms. Kyle and Mr. Drake-Wayne both refused to comment on the pictures or the cheating. As increasingly busy as things have been with the holiday charity drives and Wayne Enterprises' recent business deals, we aren't surprised. Once again, Bruce Wayne's eldest son Richard "Dick" Grayson reached out to us.

"Bruce and Selina have complicated lives," said Grayson. "One of them is the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world and the father of four kids, and the other is still trying to clear her name of allegations of over two hundreds counts of murder and recover from years as one of Gotham's many active criminals. If I know anything, it's that Selina is innocent of a lot of the things she's being accused of right now." When asked, Dick elaborated, "She may have robbed a few banks and stolen some jewels, busted a few animals out of what she viewed as a prison, but she's not a killer. And she's _not_ a cheater. I'm certain that what everyone is seeing in those photographs isn't the full story."

Regardless, we're sure that Ms. Kyle donning the suit again will have repercussions. Whether that involves her engagement to Mr. Wayne or just her parole remains to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Source: Catwoman (2011) #3


	9. Our 6 Favorite Times The Wayne Boys Were Drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Warning: This chapter contains mentions and jokes about alcohol._

1\. When Jason Todd totally crashed this Wayne gala.

2\. When it was probably a ploy to get pizza.

We have to wonder if Stephanie ordered that pizza!

3\. When Tim ran out of waffles.

4\. When Jason tried to fight with the girls.

5\. When Jason tried to play it cool and boyfriend Roy totally called him out.

6\. When Dick had to take Jason to the hospital.

We can't stop laughing either, Dick.

If we're sure about one thing, it's that the Wayne boys are definitely entertaining when they get drunk! And maybe that Jason drinks a bit too much...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All edits used in this article were made by me!   
> Faceclaims used were:  
> Milo Ventimiglia as Dick Grayson  
> Teal Sherer as Barbara Gordon  
> Steven R. McQueen as Jason Todd  
> Asa Butterfield as Tim Drake  
> Chloë Grace Moretz as Stephanie Brown  
> Ila Adu as Duke Thomas  
> Cameron Monaghan as Roy Harper


	10. Who's Gotham's Most Eligible Bachelor? The Answer Will SHOCK YOU!

Gotham's citizens have spoken and we can officially say who our most eligible bachelor is. But first, the runners up:

5\. Lucas "Luke" Fox, son of Wayne Enterprises CFO Lucius Fox.

As an up-and-coming MMA fighter, no one is arguing that Luke is a total fox! On top of just his looks, though, Luke Fox has double degrees in engineering and business management from MIT. His younger sister Tiffany put it best when she said, "...He's so popular with the ladies now. It's like, I remember when he was just a doofy kid, way before anyone thought of him as hot." And oh, do they think he's hot now! Though he was only in fifth place with 13,416 votes, we think that he's got the spot securely tied down, with a solid 2,000 more votes than the sixth place winner of the poll.

4\. Timothy Drake-Wayne, adopted son of Bruce Wayne.

We're not sure what it is exactly about Timothy Drake-Wayne that screams "Yes!" but we've heard nothing but praise about the only one of Wayne's sons who has followed his footsteps in working for the family company. Drake-Wayne will be turning twenty-one this year, and it's safe to say he has his choice of drinking buddy. We can only wonder if girlfriend Stephanie Brown participated in the poll...

3\. Richard "Dick" Grayson, Drake-Wayne's older brother and the eldest son of Bruce Wayne.

There's no question why he's on this list. Dick immediately gained the positive attention of the media when Wayne adopted him in 2001 after his parents' death in the infamous Flying Grayson Incident, and he's been in the public eye constantly since then. Tragic mullet of the early 2000s aside, talk about a major glow up! Though he recently moved to Gotham's sister city Blüdhaven and started a job at the city's police department, it's safe to say he's still got the ladies of Gotham's hearts in his pocket! Seen with women like supermodel Kory Anders and police commissioner's daughter Barbara Gordon, his only competition in this city is now-engaged adoptive father Bruce Wayne himself. We're not surprised, either; have you seen his butt?

2\. Edward Nygma, more commonly known as The Riddler.

Perhaps the most surprising on this list, recovering rogue Edward Nygma received a shocking 143,902 votes in our poll. When we asked for explanations, Twitter user @riddlemeanytime said, "It's not so much that he has that "bad boy" angle going on. It's like, he's trying to get better and you can't help but wanna help him do that."

Well, we may not understand it, but that's not what we get paid for. And now, the top voted most eligible bachelor in Gotham City:

1\. Alfred Pennyworth, longtime butler of Bruce Wayne.

The people of Gotham have spoken and in a shocking turn of events, Alfred Pennyworth is considered Gotham's most eligible bachelor. We don't know if it's the accent, or if it's just some weird millennial thing. Whatever it is, the Wayne family butler, who will be turning 75 this year, has certainly gained a lot of positive attention! We imagine it has something to do with his recent work in the Gotham Theatre, where he has volunteered backstage as well as playing quite a few starring roles, including most recently the role of Billy Flynn in _Chicago._ Were you surprised? We certainly were! Let us know in the comments who _you_ think is the most eligible bachelor on the list!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue if "@riddlemeanytime" is an actual Twitter user, I just thought it was funny.  
> Faceclaims used were:  
> Keith Powers as Luke Fox  
> Asa Butterfield as Tim Drake  
> Milo Ventimiglia as Dick Grayson  
> Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma  
> Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth


	11. Riddler Votes In Weekly City Takeover Poll?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was suggested by [caffeinewentz](http://archiveofourown.org/users/caffeinewentz).

As true Gothamites know, we started holding a weekly poll last year asking citizens of the city who they thought would be taking control that week after the Joker's biggest breakout since he kidnapped Commissioner Gordon and assaulted his daughter Barbara in 2010. Though it's been criticized as tasteless and even encouraging criminals in the past, we've seen hundreds of thousands of Gotham City's residents responding to the poll and even tweeting us with the #GothamThisWeek tag.

Even more shocking is how often the predictions are right-- the very first poll yielded only 12,000 votes, but overwhelmingly agreed that it would be the Scarecrow, also known as Jonathan Crane, as revenge for the Joker's comments on live television about him. Sure enough, that weekend there were 122 deaths and more than 2,000 further casualties as Crane released the largest quantity of fear gas into the city's streets ever recorded. Since, we've had 27 accurate predictions, including the week before last when it was announced only hours after the results of the poll were published that the Penguin had broken out of Arkham Asylum.

Now, the poll seems to be leaning toward the Riddler, and we're inclined to agree after what we found-- Edward Nygma's Twitter @riddle_me_this participated in the most recent vote, along with almost 300,000 other people. Though his concerning Tweet last week when he was officially released from Arkham was confirmed to be a false alarm, we were reasonably startled to find he had participated with other Gothamites in #GothamThisWeek.

  
_(Nygma's concerning tweet from last week, which had authorities at his house to investigate within the hour. It was determined that this was a legitimate goodnight post, and that he had no ill wishes for Gotham's citizens at this time.)_

Though the current prediction does put him under suspicion, when we looked into the matter we found that Nygma had actually voted for Oswald Cobblepot-- The Penguin. The two had a history of working together before Nygma's alleged rehabilitation, so we have to wonder if this is an innocent guess or a warning. Either way, if we were Batman, we'd be double checking on one caged bird.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue if "@riddle_me_this" is an actual Twitter. The Tweet pictured in this article was an edit made by me.  
> Faceclaim used was:  
> Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma
> 
> If you have an article you would like to see, let me know in the comments! I'm always down to write something funny for someone who reads my stuff.


	12. "I couldn't have [messed] up more if I tried," says Wayne's son

While running an errand, Bruce Wayne left his son (15) unattended in a parked car with the assumption that everything would be fine. Everything was not fine.

The boy had removed the parking break, causing the car to slide into a six and a half foot deep hole, only stopped by cement bricks from a nearby construction site. It remains unknown whether it was an accident, or simple curiosity. Fortunately, he was released from the hospital yesterday evening and retained no injuries from the incident.

When we asked Wayne's son for his comment, all he had to say was, "I couldn't have [messed] up more if I tried." Wayne had no further comments to offer about the incident, but seemed relieved that his son was alright, and largely embarrassed about the whole incident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll let y'all figure out which one this was. This one is short, but it was based on an article about my actual friend's incident and the translation of the article was difficult to follow and rather short so this is what I have to offer for today. Sorry. ^^' As per usual, prompts/requests are always open.


	13. EXCLUSIVE Interview with Timothy Drake-Wayne On Gatekeeping and Nerd Culture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're a cishet white male nerd and you read beyond this point, I am not responsible for your outraged nosebleeds.

After a recent interview with Metropolis' Lois Lane where he said that he didn't identify as a nerd, Gothamites have been dying to hear from Wayne adoptee Timothy Drake-Wayne, who was lauded as a nerd icon by people all over the internet. Nerds are outraged, and have been blowing up Twitter and Tumblr calling out Drake-Wayne for engaging in supposed "nerd culture" while apparently refusing the label. We managed to schedule an interview with him between meetings at Wayne Enterprises to ask him a few questions about his comment.

_Interviewer: Hello, Timothy. We're glad that you could squeeze us into your busy schedule._

Timothy: Me too. Lots of people have been trying to get interviews with me since I spoke with Ms. Lane. [laughing] I think they were pretty shocked about my answers to some of her questions.

_I: [laughing] It sure seems that way._

T: I actually think it's really interesting that I did this huge interview about my family and work, and people are sort of nitpicking a throwaway comment. It's like, I said, "I'm not a nerd," and suddenly their whole worlds are flipped upside down.

_I: Right. [laughing] You go in to talk about the upcoming Wayne projects that you're going to be overseeing and expect to come out with people screaming in excitement about the upcoming computer models and instead you have people tweeting at you about four words. Why do you think that is?_

T: I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that people saw me as some sort of "nerd icon." People look at me and my brothers and we're all the "blank" one. Dick is the "hot" one, Damian is the "cute" one. Even Cass, people look at her and they seem to sort of think, "Oh, well, she does kung fu, she posts gym selfies, she's like, the athletic one," and they neglect to remember that all of us exercise with some frequency. They look at me and they're like, "Oh, he's pretty scrawny, he likes Star Wars, he's the Nerd Brother."

_I: That's true. So, you reject the "nerd" label because you're more than that?_

T: No. I think that anyone who follows me on Twitter can attest that a pretty large part of my personality revolves around computers and stereotypical "nerdy" shows like Game of Thrones and Star Trek. [laughing] I think Dick and Steph text me a dozen new memes of me with coffee every morning. I don't think that there's a point to rejecting a label just because it's only a part of you. Like, we call Stephanie the "Waffle Queen" because she likes waffles a lot. She's obviously a much more complex person than just "willing to drive to our house at three in the morning because we said Alfred was making waffles," but she's okay with us calling her that because it's still part of her.

_I: Right. Like, Bruce Wayne can still be the Wayne Enterprises CEO giving big speeches with the commissioner, but then also be the exhausted dad in all of the memes we're sharing on Facebook._

T: Yeah. That's actually a really good example. B's a really multi-faceted person, but he doesn't get mad when we call him like, a stereotypical rich white guy because he knows that's what he is sometimes. He once honest to God texted Dick, "How much can a single banana cost? It can't be more than eight dollars, right?" That's a very stereotypical rich white guy thing to text your son.

_I: But then, wouldn't a Twitter rant about the latest Star Wars movie be a very stereotypical nerd thing to do?_

T: I think it's a little different there. People hear that I like "nerd" things and they give me the nerd label because that's what they think fits best, but they don't really think about it beyond that. Like, they see me, a rich white guy with a girlfriend tweeting about how mad the scene with Rose made me, and they automatically think, "This is the nerd ideal." I actually think it's kind of gross. I'm gonna get a lot of flack for it, but there's this thing in nerd culture, specifically in male nerd culture, where you cherry pick your favorite "nerd icons" and no one else really gets to count.

_I: What do you mean by that?_

T: I mean that people see the sort of person they want to represent nerds and they boost that person as a "nerd" until it's just accepted that this specific group of people is what nerds look like. It's such a dangerous mentality. It leads to a point where people hear the word nerd and they think like, "Oh, like Tim Drake-Wayne," and they don't even consider that like, the blonde girl in the picture next to me that they're all ignoring because she doesn't fit their vision could probably name twice as many Game of Thrones characters off the top of her head as I could. It's just another form of gatekeeping so nerd culture stays "pure" and it's so gross.

_I: I noticed that you used the word gatekeeping there. What do you think that means in this context?_

T: You know exactly what I mean. People who call themselves nerds, specifically straight white men, set a "level" that you have to meet to be counted as a nerd, and when you look closer, that level is really just "a straight white man." So you get "fake gamer girls" and "try-hards" which are just terms to exclude people from this awful culture.

_I: What about the people who are actually faking it though? The girls who take pictures mostly naked with Xbox controllers and say that they're getting ready to play some Call of Duty, or the people who hear a "comic fact" which is actually wrong and blindly agree with it to seem like they know what they're talking about_ _._

T: I think whatever video games they do or don't play is their business, and I think whether or not they consider themselves a "nerd" is also their business. It's not up to me, or to you, or to any person on the internet to judge whether or not that girl, or any girl, or any _person_ , is "lying" about how into video games or comics or movies they are. When you look at those pictures and those threads and decide those people are faking, you're discounting the possibility that people who aren't what you've decided nerds look like and sound like can still be in the group. It's that exact sort of gatekeeping that makes the "nerd" label so unappealing to me. The fact that people can go on my Twitter and praise me for being a nerd, but if my sister or my girlfriend tweeted the exact same things, they'd get gross men in their replies screaming that they're faking.

_I: Well, if you don't want to be labelled as a nerd what would you prefer people call you?_

T: Honestly, I think people are going to continue to call me a nerd no matter what my preference is. If it were up to me, though, I think that I'd prefer people call me a geek, since that's what Stephanie and my siblings call me anyway.

_I: Well, thanks for talking to us today._

T: Yeah, absolutely. I think it was important to talk about. Thanks for having me.


End file.
